India began with plans that were off, and continued with them for too long. To add to that, their fielding was lethargic in that first hour

Sidharth Monga at Adelaide Oval09-Dec-20145:28

Agarkar: India need to bowl the right line

The last time a team won an Adelaide Oval Test without scoring 500 in the first innings of the match was back in 2005. For an Adelaide win with a score of under 400, you have to go back seven more years, when Australia beat England despite being bowled out for 391 in the first innings. The average first-innings score here since that Test has been 457. You need to score big, over 500 mostly, when batting first to win in Adelaide.If Michael Clarke doesn’t come to bat – and there is a good chance he won’t – India effectively have Australia down at 7 for 354. During the Test that India won here in 2003, Australia were 5 for 400 after day one. There is another big “if” around Indian batting, which has lasted 180.1 overs in its last four Test innings put together, but India somehow find themselves in a position from where they can hope, especially against a team which is likely to be missing its captain and whose emotional composure hasn’t yet been put under stern test.However, let it not be forgotten that India were ordinary for the better part of the day. They began with plans that were off, and continued with them for too long. The fielding was lethargic in that first hour. A first-day pitch is not what a legspinner should be judged by, but Karn Sharma’s selection might have been too adventurous. Most disappointingly, though, after having been talked up as fast and fit by their stand-in captain, India’s fast bowlers struggled to build pressure – let alone maintain it – and when they would be on to something they would provide the release ball immediately.After his first day as Test captain, when Virat Kohli goes back into the change rooms, a conversation with MS Dhoni might be in order. “I’m sorry,” Kohli might tell Dhoni, “I spoke so much about aggression when you weren’t here, but now I can see why you aren’t aggressive: it is impossible to attack with the bowlers we have got.”Even after the start that David Warner had given Australia, Ishant Sharma’s introduction into the attack brought India back into the contest. Just after lunch, especially against Michael Clarke, India began to put together a cluster of good deliveries. The first six overs – bowled by Ishant, who was continuing his pre-lunch spell, and Mohammed Shami – were accurate, and even though they went for 23 runs, two boundaries came off edges. Two outside edges didn’t carry. You could sense India were close to driving the nail in.Then, bowling the 31st over of the innings, Shami summed up what has been wrong with him since the start of the England tour earlier this year. It was his ninth over, the fourth of this, his second spell. After bowling two dots, he pitched short and he pitched wide. All the pressure was released with a square-cut four. Shami came back well with the next ball, on a length, just outside off, holding its line, taking an edge that didn’t carry. The next ball again was short and wide, and went for four.Varun Aaron was selected to bowl fast. You shouldn’t be expecting the same accuracy and persistence you should of him as you would of Shami, who bowled in the early-to-mid 130s. It helps, though, if you swing the ball. Aaron found none with the new ball. And even if you are not expected to do the holding job, your pace should be good enough to allow you to keep one batsman on strike so you can work at something. Aaron failed to register more than three dots in a row in the first six overs he bowled. He was either too full or too wide – sometimes both – or too short despite there being the odd sharp bouncer.Between them, the two new-ball bowlers went for 178 runs in 34.2 overs, and can thank Ishant in part for maintaining some sanity at the other end, which played some part in their getting four wickets. You have to wonder if it is lack of fitness and stamina, concentration or awareness that makes them release pressure. You have to also wonder if faulty plans and persistence with them today might have something to do with it. While doing commentary during the English summer, Shane Warne made famous the word “funky” as an adjective for captaincy. Alastair Cook and Dhoni, you see, were both un-funky and passive.Kohli might have just have been too funky here. His opening bowlers operated round the wicket to both the left-arm Australia openers. The strength of both the said bowlers is to move the ball away from the right-handed batsman, which gives them a natural chance of getting lbws with left-handed batsman and outside edges if they can mix the swing up with the angle. Even debutant legspinner Karn stayed round the wicket. There must have been some plan at play, for you don’t give up that advantage just like that, but it took India an age to correct that mistake when they saw it was clearly not working. India bowled 130 balls from round the wicket to Warner and Chris Rogers, and conceded 126 runs for one wicket that was gifted away by Warner.Towards the end, though, India made good use of the lucky breaks they got. Clarke had to retire-hurt. To his credit, Kohli took the new ball immediately, even though the previous few overs had been among the quietest of the day. He was still looking for wickets, which hasn’t always been the case of late. The bowlers responded in that final burst. Australia helped them by sending in a nightwatchman with close to half an hour to go.Test cricket doesn’t throw such lifelines too often. India have shown interest in grabbing it, but they still need to wrap up the tail. Even then their batsmen will need to show they have improved big time since their last Tests. Still they have a chance, which was scarcely conceivable after how they had started.*GMT 4:40pm – this article had earlier stated, incorrectly, that the last time a team won an Adelaide Oval Test after scoring less than 500 in the first innings was in 2001. This has been corrected.

After some time off, England’s captain was in chipper mood at Lord’s as he prepared to head to Sri Lanka and had some strong defences of his own record

Alan Gardner at Lord's14-Nov-2014It has been a year of fresh starts for England but Alastair Cook is ready for another one. The revival of the Test side, 3-1 winners over India during the summer, has been put on hold and Cook must attempt an even more ambitious resurrection act: overseeing a credible England challenge at the forthcoming World Cup.England’s chances have been proclaimed as dead as Monty Python’s Norwegian blue and Cook must be sick as a parrot at constantly having to defend himself and the team. At Lord’s, however, he cut a dash and cracked a smile, suggesting playfully that the only technical issue he had been working on was learning to bat right-handed. When asked if he was the best man to lead England, despite vocal detractors, he politely pointed to that fact he was captain when they were ranked No. 1 in 2012.What had been a slate-grey morning in north London gave way to blue skies and puffy clouds, and Cook will hope the forecast for England is improving, too. Conditions in Sri Lanka, for which the team departs on Sunday ahead of a seven-match ODI series, will present considerable challenges – possibly including heavy seasonal rainfall – but the tour also promises an opportunity to reinvigorate England’s one-day fortunes.Those stocks have been on the slide since before an Ashes tour that sent ripples through the following season, although Cook could have also have mentioned last year’s Champions Trophy campaign in his defence, after coming within an ace of bringing England their first global 50-over trophy. Unsurprisingly, Cook was not holding a firesale of England manuals on ODI strategy, focusing instead on his own form and creating the right atmosphere for his players to successfully gel.”We haven’t won the last couple of series so we do have to improve the way we play,” he said. “I don’t think it is a radical change of method but what I do know is that I have been light of runs at the top of the order for the last 12 months but the times before that when I have scored heavily at the top of the order we got really good totals. So, to me, it is down to every single individual player playing to the peak of their potential then we have a real good chance at the World Cup.”You talk about strategy, you talk about the way you want to bat – to me it’s about individuals in the team playing as well as they can and if we get to that place, peaking at the right time, then we have a really good chance.”It is hard to ever imagine Cook in “radical” mood, particularly when wearing his England blazer and tie. He has been steadily holding course, keeping a grip on the tiller, over the last few months and the sight of India piling up 400 in an ODI against England’s next opponents had not altered his thinking.We have moved on from KP – Cook

With the England squad assembled ahead of the Sri Lanka series, Alastair Cook said that the players had moved on from the rancour that surrounded the publication of Kevin Pietersen’s autobiography and that they were now in “a good place”.<p
Following the expiry of confidentiality clauses, Pietersen’s book made allegations about bullying within the England dressing room and the subsequent weeks were filled with denials and commentary – with Cook suggesting that Pietersen had “tarnished” an era of great success. But Cook said the issue had now been dealt with and indicated that it was a relief to no longer have the question of what the book would say “hanging over” the team.

“We’ve had a couple of weeks together and we haven’t felt the need to talk about it at all. It’s been a really good place to be. I think we’ve moved on. All the fall out has happened. I felt in the summer we were moving on as a team but we had this publication date hanging over us and everyone was talking about what was going to happen. Now it’s all out from his side, no more can come out and we can build and move on as a side and as a captain that is a good place to be.”

“At certain times, with certain conditions you are going to have to play like that. In the last three years or so, rather than 250 being par it has gone up a little bit more. I don’t think it has gone up as much as people have made out. There has occasionally been a freaky score, like the 400s and 450s but it isn’t as much as everyone thinks. But it is an important part of the game how we go out there and bat.”Cook has not scored an ODI century in three years, so it is perhaps asking a bit much for him to swan out to the middle and emulate Rohit Sharma over the next few weeks. “Those scores are made in sub-continental conditions,” he said. “All those four double-hundreds have been made by Indian players batting in Indian conditions. That tells you if you are going to play in India you have to score big runs. Rohit was saying 350 was par on that wicket. In certain times you have to play like that.”England’s highest individual score in ODIs remains the 167 made by Robin Smith against Australia in 1993 and you have to go back slightly further for the last time they made a significant impression at a World Cup, when they were beaten finalists in 1992 – also the last time it was held in Australia and New Zealand. One of the reasons for scheduling the back-to-back Ashes that were so debilitating for England was to give the team a clear run at this tournament and, with six months of one-day specific preparation, Cook accepts there can be no excuses for another poor showing.In that regard, it is unfortunate that England still do not know their best XI. The Sri Lanka tour will hopefully answer a few questions about selection, in particular the make-up of the top three and a favoured batting order, while the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad will give opportunities for the bowlers.”In an ideal world, if cricket was played on paper and in theory, it would be great if we had a consistent side with a year to go and everyone knew their roles,” Cook said. “That would be perfect but it hasn’t quite happened like that. For the first two-and-a-half years since the last World Cup we played some excellent one-day cricket and for the last year we haven’t and there are some factors in that.”I don’t know how many are nailed on so that gives everyone an opportunity. We have 15 going to Sri Lanka and a couple out injured who will probably go to the World Cup if fit so the competition for places is exciting. They will be desperate to put in performances in Sri Lanka to get on that plane.”Barring a few training sessions at Loughborough, the players have had a rare break from the game and Cook looked as if he has benefited from some time on the farm. Now it is time to get his hand dirty.

As has been the case throughout their history, Bangladesh show promise, fail to build on it, and are ultimately left wondering what could have been

Jarrod Kimber26-Feb-20155:05

Holding: Bangladesh need to give players longer run

If Tamim Iqbal gets going.That is the essence of a conversation between two people in the press box. The conversation is longer than Tamim’s innings.A photo of Tamim facing Lasith Malinga would have looked fairly close to perfect. He was on the front foot, his bat and pad were together, and the full face of the bat was right there. It was only the ball that made him look silly. The ball came into him, yet Tamim missed it on the outside of his bat. It was actually hard to tell if Tamim was leaving or playing, he was so far inside the ball. Had the stumps not been taken down, people might have assumed it was a good leave.That was, and maybe is, Bangladesh. A team that looks good at times, but ultimately, the stumps are broken. If only.

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A short, dangerous gully, and a short catching mid-off is just a part of Bangladesh’s plan to dismiss Lahiru Thirimanne.It looks good, but actually Thirimanne keeps edging behind. One is dropped by slip. Another is not attempted by Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps. Later, Mushfiqur misses a stumping as well. While the edges and general edginess of Thirimanne continues, the slips aren’t added too, or even restructured. There is a hint of a good idea, some very decent new ball bowling, and a bunch of missed opportunities.Eventually Bangladesh do take Thirimanne, but by then, the match is all but gone. If only they had taken him early.Bangladesh look fit. They look fit, and they look young. They look fit, they look young, they look well drilled. But they don’t always field like those three things. They should be, at worst, a competent fielding side. They often aren’t. On top of the several missed chances, they added shoddy ground fielding.They missed and fumbled simple balls, and at one stage, a shy at the stumps is backed up, but the fielder backing up is not actually watching, and so Sri Lanka collect some extra runs. It is not always like this, but today it is like this, all day. If only they had held their chances, kept the pressure on, and made Sri Lanka take more risks.The Bangladeshi plan is obvious, they have their men all out on the leg side, they have their men up on the offside. They try to bowl to that plan, but Sri Lanka keep hitting through and over the off side. Conferences are had, bowlers, captains and leaders discuss this plan.They stick with it, and the Sri Lankans stick with theirs of backing away and hitting the ball through the off side. The Sri Lanka batsmen know the plan, they see the plan, they react to the plan, and the Bangladeshis let them. If only Bangladesh had practiced their plans better.If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were wickets and runs, Bangladesh would probably be the greatest ever ODI side. But they aren’t.•AFP

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There is a Bangladesh woman in the crowd who looks close to tears. She wears a Bangladesh t-shirt and face paint. She holds her hands over her mouth as Mominul Haque walks off. Mominul has played two horrendous cut shots. One was reviewed by Sri Lanka, the other was caught by Sri Lanka. In Test cricket, Mominul averages 63. He averages over 50 both home and away against Sri Lanka in Tests. But in ODIs, he more often than not only makes women almost cry. If only he could turn his Test form into ODI results.A six from Anamul Haque gets the Bangladeshi press core screaming in the box. Unfortunately, there are few, virtually no other scream-worthy moments from him. Anamul spends most of his time at the crease scoring to fine-leg and facing dot balls. One over from Herath, he faces five balls without a run, and then pushes one off the last ball to take the strike.It was almost as if he was trolling his team-mates. Recently, Anamul said “Even if I am wasting balls, my team’s score crosses the 250-mark when I am in the middle”.Here, they needed well over 300 and it’s hard to see how they will do it as his 43 balls have produced only two boundaries. And he appears allergic to rotating the strike. Eventually Anamul is run out, oddly attempting a single for the non-striker. If only he had more experience taking ODI singles.

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Shakib al Hasan plays back to a ball he should have come forward to from Dilshan. Somehow, the ball doesn’t bowl him. In the confusion, Sangakkara fumbles it. Mushfiqur Rahim sets off and almost causes a run-out. In what was one of the straightest, easiest balls to face in human history, Bangladesh have manufactured two chances for wickets for Sri Lanka. And not just two normal batsmen, their best two ODI batsmen, sitting far enough down the order that by the time they come in, their chances of winning are non-existent. If only they had batted when it mattered.On Twitter, R Ashwin gushes, “My god this guy Soumya sarkar looks a solid bat”. He looks more than solid; he looks explosive and full of boundaries. As much as you can when you only face 15 balls. Soumya hints at something special. Soumya is out shortly after. He often is. In three ODIs, he has scored, 20, 25 and 28. His ODI career is 58 balls long. Twelve of them have gone to the rope, one more over them. If he ever stays in. If he ever stays around. If he ever builds on his house of dynamite.If.

The days when all Ireland victories are termed a shock have long gone. Their defeat of West Indies was their most clinical performance against a “major” nation

Andrew McGlashan in Nelson16-Feb-20151:50

I don’t see this as an upset – Porterfield

College Park, Dublin, 1928: Ireland beat West Indies by 60 runs. Holm Field, Sion Mills, 1969: Ireland beat West Indies on first innings having humbled a side including Clive Lloyd and Sir Clyde Walcott for 25. Stormont, Belfast, 2004: Ireland beat West Indies by six wickets chasing 293. Kingston, Jamaica, 2014: Ireland beat West Indies by six wickets in a T20 international.They were all surprise victories, although by the time of the 2014 win the shock factor was reduced. When Ireland completed victory against West Indies at Nelson, shock was, or at least should have been, a distant emotion.The extraordinary run chase against England in Bangalore will forever be etched in Irish cricket history for its come-from-behind tale and the one at Sabina Park against Pakistan for its history-making feat. But this effort, at the beginning of a World Cup campaign where not reaching the quarter-finals will be classed as a failure, was their most clinical batting performance against a Full MemberA late fall of wickets never really caused a tremor, but merely disguised the extent of their victory.This victory, too, coming after Ireland had been punished during the final 15 overs in the field to the tune of 167 runs: potentially gamechanging figures. Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy sent West Indies into the interval with a surge, high-fives abounded in the dressing room, but Ireland did not let it alter their mindset.The chase was not a contest. From the moment that William Porterfield and Paul Stirling laid the foundations with an opening stand of 71 it is not an exaggeration to say that Ireland never looked like losing their way. Each question raised – how would they cope with West Indies’ extra pace, would they get stuck in the middle of the innings and the potential impact of realising victory was within their grasp – was answered in emphatic style.John Mooney and Niall O’Brein celebrate another scalp•Getty ImagesAll five matches at the beginning of this World Cup have involved 300-plus first-innings scores and Ireland are the first not to be overwhelmed by it.Perhaps their history of such 300-plus chases (they are responsible for three out of five at World Cups) should add to the element of predictability. They were also facing the poorest bowling display of the five games. But in the picturesque setting of Saxton Field they earned the right to dominate by not taking a backward step.”It was the intent we played with; we took the attack back to West Indies,” Porterfield said. “They came at us pretty aggressively and the way the lads stuck at it to keep the scoring rate was fantastic. We knew there was a lot more in the tank from what we had been doing. How we’ve prepared, both in the nets and mentally, has been fantastic.”They played well in the last 10 overs but once we set the platform everyone carried it on. There was a great feeling and that bred confidence. We always felt under control and never at any stage felt under pressure.”Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien, with his highest score against a Test nation, produced the innings of their lives and either could easily have been Man of the Match ahead of Paul Stirling, not that this observation should take anything away from his 92 which included taking a blow on the helmet badge from Jerome Taylor.One of the themes of Porterfield’s pre-match press conference was the state of Ireland’s top order and insisted it was not a concern. His faith was handsomely rewarded.This was an occasion when the pressure came less from the West Indies bowling, which was awful at times, and more from knowing what rested on their shoulders. It did not burden Ireland’s batsmen, helped perhaps by the fact that they were also comfortably the best supported team among a crowd of only 4,143.As the target loomed, and a sixth wicket fell – surely not a final twist? – O’Brien calmly clipped a boundary and scythed another over cover.Porterfield was also involved in a significant decision before play began. The selection of Andy McBrine, ahead of Craig Young, took many by surprise. His last over in a global tournament had cost 24 when he opened the bowling against Netherlands at the beginning of their remarkable chase in the World T20. This time he bowled ten overs for just two more runs than that disastrous over – and that included keeping Chris Gayle quiet. George Dockrell took the wickets, but it was bowling teamwork.The pace bowling is a concern, and Ireland’s weakest link, but the other suits of the game – spin bowling, fielding and top-order batting – were markedly more impressive than West Indies.When the winning runs arrived – as in Bangalore against England four years ago, from the bat of John Mooney – there was no mad rush onto the outfield as at the Chinnaswamy Stadium or Sabina Park four years previous. The result was less extreme, but they are also taking it all in the stride. Not quite just another day the office, but not far off.”I personally hate the terms upset, minnows, Associates – I don’t see why a team has to be an Associate or a Full Member, surely you are just ranked one to whatever. It’s not like that in any other sport, so I don’t see why it is in ours,” Porterfield said as he took the chance of another swipe at the ICC.”I don’t see it as upset, we came into win. We’ll prepare to win the UAE game, then South Africa. It’s where we are at, we are looking to pick up two points in every game.”Part of the challenge now is to not slip in the next game against the UAE in Brisbane because that would be a horrid waste after a display such as this. They have nine days to enjoy the win, come back down to earth and start again. You sense they will take it all in their stride. If they don’t, that would be the real surprise.

There is a certain beauty and charm to the game of cricket. Richie Benaud’s voice raised that charm to a new plane

Jayakrishnan Menon10-Apr-2015The EA Sports Cricket World Cup ’99 was one of the first games I played. The young cricket-lover in me was thrilled at the prospect of controlling international players and making them bat or bowl the way I wanted them to. And the cherry on top was that there was commentary. Every boundary I hit, every wicket I take would be described in detail by two voices. One was that of David Gower. The other voice was wispy, akin to that of a wise sage, albeit one with a thick Australian accent. It was at the age of 11 that I was introduced to the commentary of the charismatic Richie Benaud.The first time I heard was during the game installation. Gower and Benaud would list out the highlights from previous editions of the Cricket World Cup. Some of the tidbits I recollect are that of him describing Kapil Dev’s heroic 175 at Tunbridge Wells, and Wasim Akram’s devastating spell in the 1992 final. As I started playing the game, I was taken in by his calm and collected voice, laying out the predictions for every match before it started, summing up the match once it ended, and lacing the match with bits and pieces of cricket history. It was a pre-recorded template, which kept on repeating itself. But perhaps it was my age, or as I would like to believe, the magic in Richie Benaud’s voice, that made it feel real.Today, on a particularly lazy Friday morning as I settled in for work, I heard the news of Benaud’s demise and it brought about a pang in me. There is a certain beauty and charm to the game of cricket. This is the kind that presents itself when Michael Holding skillfully dismantles an impressive batting line-up, and equally when Michael Atherton hops, skips and jumps while fending off an aggressive Allan Donald. And Benaud raised the charm to a new plane.I am perhaps too young and inexperienced to write anything about his allround talent and captaincy. But I consider myself lucky enough to have had his voice fill up my living room on various occasions. It is sad to know that the first distinct commentary voice I could identify is no more. With a heavy heart, I bid you goodbye. You, sir, were simply ‘Marvellous!’If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

Plays of the day from the match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in Pune

Alagappan Muthu10-Apr-2015It was a juicy length ball and George Bailey had set his base and launched it into orbit. Away she soared down the ground, followed by every pair of eyeballs in the stadium. Tim Southee was among them as he went as far back on the long-on boundary as he could. It was going to lob him – he extended his right hand and caught the ball in the airspace beyond the boundary. But the very momentum that had helped him reach the ball was now about to push him over the ropes. That was when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Karun Nair. Out came a deft little flick, by instinct, to keep the ball in play, and Karun to dived low to his right, by instinct, to complete a catch that will likely break YouTube and ESPNcricinfo hit counters.Sehwag’s see-saw night
All of Steven Smith’s strengths were on view as soon as the seventh over – the leap outside off, the twirl of supple wrists, the gap found on the leg side, a boundary for the taking. Until Virender Sehwag took aim at every person who’s ever said he doesn’t move his feet. From long leg, he raced to his left, went into a full-length dive and swatted the ball back into the field of play. Pune, Kings XI Punjab’s home for today, roared. “Great stop viru bhai still rocking can’t wait to see your attacking batting,” Suresh Raina tweeted. Only, great expectations often foster anti-climaxes and Sehwag nicked off for a golden duck.The untouchable
Rajasthan Royals were 53 for 3 after eight overs when Mitchell Johnson’s bulky and tattooed arms began windmilling at fine leg. Stuart Binny is not unfamiliar to this sight, having spent the last summer in Australia with the Indian team, but today was the first time he was in the firing line. Nine balls he faced. Nine balls that beat the bat. A bouncer reached the wicketkeeper by the time Binny flashed and was followed by a yorker, flavoured with enough inswing to leave a shiner on his front toe in the morning. Nine balls that felt like Johnson was a predator playing with his food and the tenth confirmed as much. It was the only one Binny got bat to, an outside edge that sat safely in Wriddhiman Saha’s gloves.The security threat
At the other end there was James Faulkner, mauling Johnson for two sixes and two fours. So those behind the boundary line needed to be alert. Except the security personnel at IPL grounds do not have that luxury. Not even the security dogs and one of them had an uncomfortably close run in with a Faulkner-powered thump. In the 19th over, he picked up a Johnson slower ball so easily that he was able to get down on one-knee to give it the necessary air miles. Glenn Maxwell, at the square leg boundary, leaped up in hopes of intercepting it and got his right hand to the ball and palmed the ball over the ropes and almost onto the poor dog.The bonus
Southee doesn’t stray down leg often, but when he does the batsman better capitalise. Wriddhiman Saha managed a small deflection off the boot and he assumed it would be enough to beat the keeper. Steven Smith, at slip flew into a leg-before appeal and the rest of the in-fielders followed suit, but the wicketkeeper Sanju Samson had other things in mind – Saha had drifted out of his crease to nick a few runs. So Samson threw himself to his left, got to the ball, recovered from a minor fumble and threw down the stumps without even taking off his gloves. Smith still had his hands raised in that leg-before appeal and Saha was left stunned in the middle of the pitch.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2015A fit-again Mohammed Shami got rid of Dwayne Smith for 6 in the fifth over•Associated PressA huge mix-up with Chris Gayle left Marlon Samuels way short of his ground three overs later•Associated PressGayle got a couple of boundaries away, but one of his slogs found Mohit Sharma at deep square leg•Associated PressThen Denesh Ramdin was bowled for a duck as West Indies slumped to 35 for 4 in the 10th over•Associated PressIt was the perfect situation for Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin to control. They took three wickets between them•Getty ImagesJason Holder was West Indies’ only source of resistance and his 64-ball 57 pushed West Indies to 182•Associated PressIndia’s chase started poorly as their openers fell when in single digits•ICCVirat Kohli looked good for his 33 but got out trying to pull one from outside off•Getty ImagesThe short ball was a useful weapon for West Indies as well on a fast WACA track•Getty ImagesAjinkya Rahane was dismissed 15 runs later, leaving India at 78 for 4•Getty ImagesThe gamble of bowling Dwayne Smith fetched the wicket of Suresh Raina for 22 and India were 107 for 5•AFPMarlon Samuels took a catch at deep square leg to remove Ravindra Jadeja with India 48 runs away•Associated PressBut MS Dhoni struck a 56-ball 45 to guide India to an eighth successive World Cup win•AFP

Dhawal Kulkarni, who has spent his last four months carrying drinks or bowling in the nets without any competitive cricket, is all set to break the lean patch and take the new ball for Rajasthan Royals

Amol Karhadkar09-Apr-2015December 10, 2014. When Dhawal Kulkarni last bowled in a competitive match, the day he turned 26. April 10, 2015. Kulkarni is all set to bowl in a competitive match again. Four months. 120 days. Dhawal Kulkarni wasn’t injured. Dhawal Kulkarni wasn’t unfit.In case you have forgotten, Kulkarni was in Australia. He was in New Zealand too. Kulkarni was initially drafted in for the injured Bhuveshwar Kumar after the first Test in Australia. Bhuvneshwar recovered – not fully, but he played the final Test in Sydney. Kulkarni was still in the squad. As a replacement? As a back-up? We don’t really know.Then came the tri-series. Kulkarni was joined by Mohit Sharma and the pair was back-up for India’s injury-prone pace attack. Ishant Sharma was ruled out of the World Cup. Mohit was included and finished the World Cup with 13 wickets in eight matches, while Kulkarni continued to be the back-up.He was a part of the Indian touring party for three-and-a-half-months. Mumbai missed him during a topsy-turvy Ranji season when he was either carrying drinks or bowling to his India team-mates in the nets.He couldn’t bowl in a match in India’s sky-blue jersey. Come Friday and the four-month jinx is set to be broken. He will switch to Rajasthan Royals’ royal-blue jersey and is all set to take the new ball against Kings XI Punjab.The only match he has played over the period was a practice game Royals played among themselves at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai last week. But that was more for the sake of match simulation and trying out different combinations. Kings XI Punjab will be the first real test of the season for Kulkarni.An IPL stage could be the best opportunity for Kulkarni to get back into the groove. The high-intensity and high-pressure surroundings may help him be at the top of his game. Or it could work against him as well. Well short of match practice, Kulkarni may be rusty and leak runs. And in a T20 match, no team can really afford to have a specialist bowler, who has not played a competitive game for four months.Given the situation, Kulkarni would want to be given a slightly longer rope, even if he doesn’t look his best in the first couple of games. If Kulkarni keeps the robust Kings XI batting unit in check, he would earn the right to be in the Royals XI for the better part of the first half of the tournament. Otherwise, he might have to continue doing what he did for the last four months.

Plays of the day from the match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai

George Binoy04-May-2015The mis-match
Dwayne Smith will be embarrassed to watch a recording of the first over of the game. He did not get bat on a single ball from Mitchell Starc. Smith tried to play at four of the first five deliveries – having left the other one – but was extremely late on the shot every time and beaten outside off stump. Starc simply readjusted his radar for the sixth delivery, homing in on the stumps instead of just outside. Smith, with stagnant feet, was woefully late again and his off stump took a beating.The injury
Raina drove the last ball off the eighth over firmly towards point, where Mandeep Singh – the hero of Royal Challengers’ chase against Kolkata Knight Riders – dived smartly to his right to cut off the shot. The ball rolled a short distance away from Mandeep, though, and the instant reaction was to wonder why he wasn’t up and haring after it to prevent runs. Immediately it was apparent that all was not well because Mandeep got up and wrung his right hand in pain, his little finger appearing to have been dislocated. His team-mates converged on him in concern and he needed to go off the field for treatment.The huge hit
Super Kings boast a line-up filled with muscular batsmen who can bash the ball – Smith, McCullum, Raina, du Plessis, Dhoni, Bravo and Jadeja. The biggest six of the evening, however, was struck by small and wiry Pawan Negi, and it was humongous. He danced down the pitch to Yuzvendra Chahal and lofted straight and far with a mighty swing. The ball travelled so high that when it bounced, it bounced on the roof of the MA Chidambaram Stadium.The failed experiment
Royal Challengers had a misfiring opener of their own. Having replaced the resting Chris Gayle, Nic Maddinson was intent on charging Ishwar Pandey repeatedly. He was struck on the pad once and then missed a few other deliveries. There seemed to be little method to his aggressive approach and when the end came it was to one off the tamest deliveries he could hope to get. Maddinson charged at a straight full toss from Pandey, simply missed it with his clumsy swing, and was bowled.The hammer and feather
AB de Villiers could have beheaded Ashish Nehra had he hit the ball lower. So fierce was the drive off the front foot that all Nehra could do – and no one would have expected otherwise – was duck as the ball rocketed over him and to the straight boundary. A few balls later, de Villiers displayed a more delicate touch. With the keeper up to the stumps for the seamer, first slip standing back and a short third man in place, he dabbed Pandey late from off stump, placing it between the fielders with precision.

Stats highlights from the third day of the one-off Test between Bangladesh and India in Fatullah

Bishen Jeswant12-Jun-20151:44

Insights – Vijay’s prolific run

3 Number of opening pairs who have scored 150-plus runs each in the same innings on two occasions. Shikhar Dhawan (173) and Murali Vijay (150) did this once previously against Australia in Mohali in 2013. The other pairs to have done this are Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, and Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs.5 Instances in the last 10 years when both Indian openers have made centuries in the same Test innings, the most for any team. Australia’s openers have done this four times.7 Instances of an Indian batsman being dismissed in the 90s over the last two years, the most for any team. Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed on 98 today. Next on the list are batsmen from Sri Lanka (6), followed by Australia (5).1 Number of Test matches Rahane played in the sub-continent before this game. In his only previous Test, versus Australia in Delhi (2013), Rahane scored 7 & 1. Rahane has played 13 Tests outside Asia.1034 Runs scored by M Vijay in the last 12 months, the most by any Indian batsman. He is the only Indian batsman, and one of seven in the world, to score 1000-plus runs in this period. Among Indian batsmen, Virat Kohli is second-best with 840 runs.Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed in the 90s for the second time in his Test career•AFP6 Number of Test centuries scored by Vijay. He has scored at least 139 runs on each of those occasions but has never scored more than 167. He was dismissed for 150 on the third day.0 Wickets taken by Bangladesh’s pacers in this Test so far. Their pacers – Mohammad Shahid and Soumya Sarkar – have bowled 25 overs in this innings without a wicket, the third in terms of most overs bowled by Bangladesh pacers without a wicket. Bangladesh’s spinners took six wickets on the third day. There has been only one previous instance where Bangladesh’s spinners have taken all ten wickets – against Zimbabwe in Dhaka (2009).2 Number of times Dhawan has been dismissed by a left-arm spinner in Tests – the bowlers to get him out are Robin Peterson and Shakib Al Hasan. He has been dismissed six times by right-arm spinners and 16 times by pacers.556 India’s average first-innings score against Bangladesh in Tests, their highest against any team. India finished the third day on 462 for 6 and poised to easily reach that mark. India’s average first-innings score against South Africa is 302, their lowest against any team.